Men's soccer team breaks into national rankings

An impressive start to the 2013 soccer season has earned national recognition for  the Randolph College men’s soccer team.

Two recent wins pushed the WildCats into the number 17 spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III poll, besting the team’s previous record of reaching number 18 on that list. .

The team also ranked as the final team on the D3soccer.com top 25, a list compiled from votes by a panel of coaches, sports information directors, and media members. This is the first time in the program’s history that the team has been ranked in both polls at the same time.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Bryan Waggoner and a large contingent of seniors, the men’s soccer team has amassed 9 wins, zero losses and one tie this season, their longest unbeaten streak. In 2011, they won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship and rose to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Learn more about the team’s accomplishments on the WildCat Athletics Men’s  Soccer page.

Clay Nunley featured in his alma mater's magazine

Clay Nunley, head men’s basketball coach at Randolph College, recently appeared in an article in the alumni magazine of his alma mater.

Goucher College’s magazine featured Nunley in the story about Goucher graduates who have shown the ability to lead and motivate others. The article talks about how Nunley founded and built the men’s basketball program at Randolph. After just a few years, the team played in the conference championship for two years in a row, and this year was chosen to compete in the NCAA Division III tournament.

In the article, Nunley gave credit to his players, especially the first student-athletes he recruited to Randolph, who refused to give up.

“If there ever was a moment where the importance of character showed through, it was with that first class,” Nunley told Goucher Quarterly. “There were so many moments where kids with less character would have said, ‘This is too hard. I’m not up for this.’ These kids remained committed, and the end result was a senior season with a lot of success.”

You can read the article here, or download a PDF from this page.

Randolph magazine also has featured stories detailing Nunley’s perspective on building leaders through athletics and the team’s fight to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship game.

Men's Soccer team ready for European tour

Randolph’s men’s soccer team is embarking on a European tour ahead of their fall 2013 season.

The men's soccer team practiced on campus for a week in preparation for their European tour.

Tomorrow, head coach Bryan Waggoner and 21 student-athletes will depart for London where they will spend more than a week seeing sights, competing in matches against international teams, and observing professional soccer games.

The team took a similar trip three years ago, and Waggoner said it was an incredible way for the team to bond, improve their skills, and have an intercultural experience. He looks forward to seeing that happen again.

“We saw our team grow tremendously on our last European soccer tour in 2010. The 2013 tour provides an outstanding opportunity for the team to further develop their team chemistry, and it will be a great way to launch our upcoming season. I am confident that this team with 14 seniors, a strong core of returning players, and energetic first-year student-athletes will continue to excel.”

Throughout the trip, the WildCat Athletics Facebook page will post photos that Waggoner sends in as the group tours England.

Lynchburg athletic and theatre summer camps available at Randolph College

Looking for enriching activities for your children this summer? Do you want your children to have lots of fun and learn a lot in these programs? Randolph College has several options, including athletic camps and a theatre program over the next few months.


Athletic Camps

Randolph’s coaches are running several camps to help children and youth to develop their skills. Camps are available for tennis, basketball (including one co-ed camp and one for girls only), horseback riding, and volleyball. Find the details, including registration information, here.

“Our goal for the week is to give each camper plenty of individual instruction in all areas of the game,” said Allison Nichols, head women’s basketball coach who leads the girls basketball summer camp. “Each day will be filled with fundamental work, competitions, games, prizes, and plenty of fun.”

Theatre Camp

WildCat Theatre Conservatory is returning to Randolph for the second year. This all-day theatre camp for K-12 students teaches a variety of acting skills ranging from musical theatre to improvisation, but it also helps build creativity and life lessons.

“I saw some kids who came into the program really shy. They opened up and were more confident by the end of the program,” said Ashley Peisher ’15, a Randolph student who helped run WildCat Theatre Conservatory and will work there again this summer. “It really gave the students an opportunity to grow and to help others grow. It was really cool to seem them work together.”

“It provided an arena for them to expand on their creativity,” said Sonja Cirilo ’15, another Randolph student helping with the conservatory for the second year.

Professional actors and theatre educators teach WildCat Theatre Conservatory classes on improvisation, musical theatre, acting, movement, and other skills. One of Peisher’s fondest memories was seeing high school students who improved their talent for improvisation. “They were doing some really genuine scenes that you would have thought were scripted,” she said.

The theatre camp is expanding to offer two different two-week sessions. One runs from July 15 to July 27 and the second will be July 29 to August 11. Get more information here, connect with the Theatre Conservatory on Facebook, or download the registration form here.

Randolph College Sports Information Director Earns Top Honor

Randolph College’s sports information director has been named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Sports Information Director of the Year.

Jamie Chagnon received the honor at a league meeting in May. The annual award winner is chosen by peers in the ODAC.

“Jamie is a great fit in the ODAC,” said James De Boer, SID for Eastern Mennonite University and president of the ODAC SID Committee. “He has quickly earned a reputation for doing quality work, and it’s a joy to see the many advancements he has made in the Sports Information office at Randolph.”

Chagnon, who also served as secretary of the ODAC Sports Information Directors Committee, began his tenure at Randolph two years ago and has expanded the College’s coverage of athletics and delivery of athletic news in numerous ways. In addition to multiple advancements in social media, including www.randolphwildcats.com, Facebook and YouTube, Chagnon recently launched a new athletics website. “The new site allows fans, student-athletes, and prospective students to really feel the pulse of what’s happening with WildCat athletics,” Chagnon said.

Tina Hill, director of athletics, was not surprised Chagnon received the honor. “Jamie has been a great addition to our community and has done an outstanding job at taking the responsibilities of the Sports Information office to new heights,” she said. “He works tirelessly and creatively to promote our athletics program as well as the College. We are very appreciative of all that Jamie does on our behalf and are proud of his work and accomplishments. He certainly is well deserving of this honor and is to be congratulated for a job well done."

Being recognized by peers makes this award more meaningful to Chagnon. “It’s always nice to be recognized, but when it comes from a group of people that you respect so much it means that much more,” he said. “I got my start in sports information in the ODAC thanks to people like Mike Carpenter at Lynchburg College and Brian Laubscher at Washington and Lee University, and continue to learn from each and every one of my colleagues. It was just a special feeling to know the award came from the group that it did.”

Randolph’s growing athletic program has presented challenges and exciting opportunities, Chagnon said. Growing teams have offered plenty of “firsts,” including the women’s lacrosse team’s first ODAC win. Experiencing the journey of Randolph’s history-making men’s soccer team last fall has proven to be one of the more fun parts of his job. Chagnon followed the team from its ODAC win to the NCAA Tournament in Newport News, where the team beat the #2-ranked team in the nation, and then to California for the NCAA Sweet 16. “To be able to document all of the team’s hard work and dedication before the game, and then see if pay off on that stage was a special moment for me,” he said.

Chagnon is looking forward to another exciting year promoting the Randolph WildCats. “Sports information is a field that is always changing and evolving, and it is intriguing to learn new ways to deliver information,” Chagnon said. “I have always been passionate about sports, and it was something that my parents, my grandfather, and I really shared with each other as I grew up.

“Being able to come to work every single day with a love for what you do, it makes life that much more enjoyable,” he added.

Students can major in sport and exercise studies

Randolph College is launching a new major for students who are interested in becoming personal trainers, coaches, sports managers, and other professionals in the sports field.

The sport and exercise studies major was approved by faculty last semester, and classes for the major will be offered starting in the fall of 2012.

Carolyn Sarson, a physical education professor, leads the
new sport and exercise studies program.

The program offers students a background in the social and physical sciences related to sports, as well as activities such as prescribing exercise to increase health and managing sports facilities.

“We apply a liberal arts approach and offer a variety of classes that are in the sport and exercise studies discipline,” said Carolyn Sarson, a physical education professor overseeing the new major.

The College already has a physical education and health major focused on helping students get teacher licensure, but some students and prospective students have asked about studies focused more on exercise health and management, Sarson said.

Here are examples of some classes in the new program:

• Exercise Physiology explores how the human body is affected during exercise and how it reacts to long-term exercise.
• Sociology of Sport discusses the place that sports take in American society, and examines sociological issues, such as gender, as they relate to sports.
• Sport Management covers strategies to manage athletic facilities, ranging from risk management to maintenance.
• Exercise Testing and Prescription trains students to assess cardiorespiratory fitness and design exercise prescriptions that increase health.
• Sports Psychology gives students insight into the mental and emotional factors affecting—and affected by—sports and exercise.

The core curriculum will be supplemented by classes such as weight training or dance.

Seniors in the sport and exercise studies major would complete an internship relating to their specific interests and participate in a seminar. Sarson also encourages students to select a minor such as business, communication studies, or psychology, to expand their knowledge in their area of interest.

Graduates would be prepared for careers in community, clinical, and corporate sport exercise fields, as well as master’s programs in exercise science, kinesiology, health promotion, wellness management, athletic training, sport psychology, and more.

Since the new major was announced, Sarson said she has had five students notify her that they intend to declare a sport and exercise studies major. She looks forward to welcoming new students with an athletic and academic interest in the major.

WildCats Advance to ODAC Championships!

Randolph College's men's soccer team clinched a spot in the ODAC championship final Tuesday night with a thrilling win over Virginia Wesleyan. On Saturday, the WildCats will face the winner of Wednesday's game between Lynchburg College and Eastern Mennonite.

The men's soccer team is the third team in a year to advance to the ODAC championships. The men's basketball team and women's softball team both made it to the finals last season.

For more coverage, please see

http://web.randolphcollege.edu/newsevents/pressreleases/news_detail.asp?id=1348

http://wildcats.randolphcollege.edu/news/update.asp?id=2075

College hires new men's lacrosse coach

Randolph College has selected its new men's lacrosse coach. Check out the article about coach Andy Sinclair on the college's athletics web page.

From the article:

“He is a seasoned professional that understands what it takes to develop a winning program and cares deeply about the development of his players in the classroom, in the community and on the field." - Tina Hill, director of athletics

Athletics at Randolph College allow scholars to develop leadership talents and other skills that help them on and off the court. We're glad to have Sinclair joining the athletics program.

Randolph Wins, Advances in ODAC Tournament

The Randolph College WildCats men's basketball team knocked off Guilford College 75-72 in their opening game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament. The WildCats will meet #1 seeded Virginia Wesleyan in the semifinal round on February 26.

This marks the first ODAC Tournament win in program history in only its second tournament appearance.

ODAC Coach of the Year Clay Nunley has built the fledgling program from scratch over the last four years. Randolph first admitted it's first male students in 2006 after more than a century as a women's college.

Read the story of the rise of the WildCats in the News & Advance > > >

WildCat Den-Men's Basketball > > >

Randolph College Featured in Lacrosse Magazine

Randolph is building its lacrosse tradtion. The men's team, under head coach Scott Ketcham, is about to enter its first full season of NCAA competition after playing an abbreviated schedule last year. At the same time, head coach Alexis Wagner is building a women's team to compete in spring 2010.

Ketcham and his team are the topic of a feature story in the December 2009 issue of Lacrosse magazine. "New Beginnings" looks at the growing pains associated with starting a new NCAA Division III program as well as the opportunities for student athletes.

The article features interviews with Ketcham and two of his players, Nick Randall and Kody Roza. (Read the article here)

"The sport of lacrosse has seen an explosion of interest nationwide in the past decade," says Ketcham. "More and more high school students are looking for an opportunity to continue playing in college. That's where Coach Wagner and I are finding our players - smart students who are serious about their academics first but love the game so much that they want to keep playing."

On the recruiting trail, Ketcham is focused on building depth. Last year, Randolph fielded a 15-man squad in the highly competitive Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Ketcham expects this spring's roster to grow to 22 and is recruiting for a 30-man team next year.

Wagner has recruited 16 players from the Randolph student body to play an intercollegiate schedule this spring and is aggressively recruiting now for next year's inaugural varsity season.

Learn more...

WildCat Men's Lacrosse > > >

WildCat Women's Lacrosse > > >

Subscribe to WildCat Scores and Updates > > >

Randolph College to Host Girls Sports Clinic

Randolph College will participate in the Virginia Amateur Sports Girls Sports Clinic on September 19, 2009. The clinic is an opportunity for girls, ages 7-13, to experience athletics that they enjoy or are interested in. For more information regarding the event, please visit www.commonwealthgames.org.